Meter.



2 SHEETSSHEI1T 1.

PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

METER,

IIIIIIII'IIIII'IIII E. SGHATTNER.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 24, 1905.

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UNITED STATES A PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST SCHATTNER,

OF SGHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. I

' METER.

- No. e7s,oea.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.-

Application filed larch 24, 1905- Serial No. 251.778-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST SCHATT'NER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a meter for measuring the energy or a factor of the energy supplied to electric translating devices.

More particularly the invention relates to an integrating ampere meter depending for its operation upon electrolysis.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive meter for use on alternating current circuits.

It has long been known that a couple com-' posed of an aluminium plate and a plate of good non-oxidizing material, such as carbon, placed in a neutral conducting solution will offer a very low resistance to the passage of current therethrough in one direction but almost entirely prevent the flowof current in the opposite direction. Such a device is commonly, termed an electrolytic valve. I utilize this principle to produce an integrating ampere meter for alternating currents by connecting two of the valves in parallel with each other and in series in the circuit with the plates of one valve oppositelyarranged relatively to those of the other, and employing a solution which will be decomposed by the current passing therethroug With this arrangement a current impulse flows from the carbon as anode to the aluminium as cathode of one valve, since that is the path of least resistance, while a current impulse of opposite sign asses in a similar manner through the ot er valve, and the amount of decomposition of the electrolyte that takes lace is a measure of the current consumed. n practice I find that the two couples should 'be placed in separate baths as otherwise there would be more or less leakage from one My invention will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the'accompanying 'drawings which show the preferred embodiment of my invention and in which Figure 1 is a front lview of the meter having the cover removed; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections.

The novel features of my invention will be definitely set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates an iron casting forming the back'of the meter in which are mounted two jars or containers 2 and 3. One of these jars 2 is provided with an elon ated neck and is made of glass and provided with scale markings upon the neck as indicated at 4.- If desired, however, this jar may be made of any suitable material other than glass and a long strip of glass having the scale markings thereon set vertically in the elongated neck. The other jar 3 may be similar to the jar 2, but as the each jar is practically the same this is not necessary. The jar 3 may therefore be shaped as shown in Fig. 1 and may be of lass or any other suitable material. Each ar is filled almost to the top with an electrolyte 5 which is a conductor and which will be decomposed by the passage of current therethrough. For this pur ose I prefer to use a. solution of Rochelle sa ts. A thin film 6 of parafiin or other suitable material may be placed on top of the solution to prevent loss by evaporation, and this film may be colored so that the height of the electrol te in the neck of the jar 2 may be more readily observed through the glass. In each of the jars immersed in the electrolyte is a pair of plates which with the electrolyte form an electrolytic valve, that is, they permit the free flow of current in one direction therethrough and offer such a high resistance to the flow of current in the opposite direction as to become practically aninsulator.' I make these plates one of aluminium and the other of carbon as indicated at 7 and 8 respectively, though other materials may be used instead. They are held close to ether and parallel to each other by insulate bolts 9 passin through the two plates but actual contact Iietween the plates is prevented by washers 10 of insulatin material such as fiber on the bolts 9 and etween the plates.

amount of the electrolyte decomposed in securing the leads Connected to each late is a conductor 11 extendingup throng the open end of the ar andnilnsulated from the electrolyte preferably by eans of a rubber tube 12 fitting tightly on the conductor. In the upper art of the casing is a wooden connection b ock 13 on which are two binding posts 14 and 15. The binding 0st 14 is connected to the car bon plate 8 0 one element and the aluminium plate 7 of the other element by the insulated conductors 11; the other two plates are similarly connected to the binding post 15, so that the carbon of one cell is connected to the aluminium of the other. The binding posts 14 and 15 are also om the circuit thereto. Covers 16 rest upon the open ends of the ars and are provided with openings for the conductors 11 and for the'escape of gases. A cover plate closes the front of the meter casing having a glass-covered o ening therein to facilitate taking readings o the meter and openings are provided in the back 1 for the admisslon of the leads from the circuit to the binding posts 14 and 15. V

It will be seen that when the-meter is connected in series in one of the lines of an alter-' nating current circuit-by inserting the line terminals through the openings in the meter casing and into the binding posts '14 and 15,"

the two electrolytic valves will be oppositely arranged relatively and connected in parallel with each other and in series in'the circuit,

as shown in Fig. 2. When lights 17 or other translating devices are cut into circuit, a current .impulse in one direction will flow through one of the valves as that offers a very low resistance and as the other is practlcally an insulator, and a current impulse in the opposite direction will flow throughthefl other element, that being the path of the least resistance. The current flowing between the two plates in the jar 2 is therefore always in the same direction, and the water of the electrolyte in the jar Will be slowlyde The amount of the surface of the liquid falling on the scale 4, is a measure of the amount of current'consumed and this scale may be calibrated to Q read directly in ampere hours.

sults.

sider within the scope of my invention and I 1provided with means for .I do not wish to be understood as limited to the construction which I have herein shown and described nor to the use of the materials which I have mentioned herein, as others may be employed with very good re- Modifications in these respectsI' conaim to cover them in the claims appended hereto.-

What I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1.- In combination with an alternatingcurrent circuit, an electrolytic meter comprising an electrolytic valve having electrodes and electrolyte adapted to permit the flow of current impulses in one direction only, a shunt around said valve adapted to permit" the flow of current impulses in the opposite direction, and means for indicating .the

' amount of-electrolytic decomposition'in said valve.

2'. An electrolytic meter comprising two I I electrolytic valves oppositely arranged in parallel with each other, eachcvalve comprising electrodes and electrolyte adapted to transmit current impulses'in one direction only, and means to indicate the amount of electrolytic decomposition.-

3. An 'electrolytlc meter comprising two electrolytic valves each composed of an aluminium and a carbon plate immersedin an electrolyte oppositely "arranged in parallel with each other,-means for connecting said valves in series in"a.circuit, and means to indicate the amount of electrolytic' decomposition.

4. An electrolytic .meter comprising two electrolytic valves each composed of an aluminium and a conducting plate immersed in a solution of Rochelle salts oppositely arrangedin parallel with each other, means for connecting said valves in series in a circuit, and means-to indicate the amount of decomposition of said solution.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd dayof March, 1905. v

- ERNEST SCHATTNER.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD. 

